Thomas M. Wright cheerfully acknowledges he is far better known in the US and the UK than in his native Australia.
Some 34 feature films will compete for nominations for this year's AACTA Awards, and the longlist covers diverse range of titles, from box office earners like 'Top End Wedding' and 'Storm Boy', through to the critically lauded 'The Nightingale' and micro budget indies like 'Suburban Wildlife'.
Lingo Pictures' four-part TV drama 'Lambs of God' has collected an unprecedented 18 AACTA Award nominations, while Jennifer Kent's 'The Nightingale' leads in film with 15 nods.
First-time feature directors Thomas Wright ('Acute Misfortune'), John Sheedy ('H is for Happiness'), Ben Lawrence ('Hearts and Bones') and Natalie Erika James ('Relic') will vie for the Australian Directors' Guild Award for Best Direction in a Feature Film ($1 million or over) against Sophie Hyde ('Animals') and Wayne Blair ('Top End Wedding').
Thomas M Wright details the challenges involved with the production of his sophomore film, 'The Stranger'.